Vanessa Sheppard

B.Bus. (Acc & Man) CPA
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT

Vanessa has been in the Accounting Industry for over 30 years and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Practice. She started in the Commercial Arena in Law Practices and progressed to Public Practice in 1998 where she worked full-time and studied part-time at night to obtain her qualifications, so she’s not scared of hard work. Vanessa has operated her own Public Practice since 2008 which she built from the ground up through word of mouth and continues to grow in the same way.

Vanessa loves helping people get a better result from all aspects of their business including business processes, accounting software, bookkeeping processes, the preparation of tax compliance obligations and any other way she can help. She is a problem solver and enjoys working out a better way for process improvement within a business. She loves collaborating and working with her team to get the best possible outcome for our clients.

Vanessa loves training with her PT, taking her puppy for a walk, especially to the beach. She enjoys gardening, catching up with friends whether it be at home or at a nice restaurant, watching a good movie or Netflix/Stan series. She likes reading when she finds a good book and enjoys just sitting and watching the world go by.

Stephanie Rachele

B.Com (Acc.) CPA
ACCOUNTANT

Steph has worked with Vanessa since 2008 and for Sheppard Accountants since 1 July 2011 when we opened our doors. Steph is the backbone of the Practice as Vanessa’s 2IC. Steph and Vanessa are like two peas in a pod in that they both care about their clients, enjoy helping them and love being Accountants. Steph enjoys getting to know her clients and brainstorming ways they can become more efficient and successful in achieving their business and accounting goals. 

Steph is an amazing teacher and she loves supporting and mentoring her colleagues to see them achieve their own personal goals in the Accounting realm which is why she is nicknamed the Nana of our Practice. Steph is amazing technically and gets a lot of pleasure from reading up on tax law changes and technical issues. She is well loved in the Practice by staff and clients alike.

Steph loves taking her dog to the park and enjoys playing social sports like touch football and netball. On weekends, she enjoys the great things living in Melbourne has to offer including visiting the Victoria Markets, going to the MCG Stadium to watch the AFL and eating out. She also likes to relax and care for her indoor plants and watch a good movie or Stan/Netflix series.

Emily Skews

B.Com (Acc.) CPA ASA
ACCOUNTANT

Emily has worked with Vanessa and Steph for over 10 years. She started out doing work experience and moved to a full-time position at Sheppard Accountants after finishing her University degree. Emily started in Accounting Administration and Bookkeeping and has worked her way up into the Accounting role she now thrives in. She loves the satisfaction of helping her clients receive the best result in their business. Emily loves her job and is the most efficient, organised person you’ll ever meet. Someone who is affectionately known as our Giraffe (Emily is tall) and someone our clients certainly appreciate having in their team.

In her spare time, which is not very often, she loves camping and adventuring with friends and family at various remote spots.

Poppy

OFFICE MASCOT

Poppy is our office mascot who brings a lot of joy to the staff and our clients.  They say dogs are great for stress relief and that is certainly true with Poppy. She always has a smile on her face and gives lots of affection to staff and clients alike. When she’s not running around playing chasey, you will find her snuggled under Vanessa’s desk or in the boardroom with clients. She is a much-loved member of the team.